Each year billions of dollars are wagered in government operated lotteries. Lotteries are a major revenue source in the United States and foreign countries. Thirty-three states and the District of Columbia have government operated lotteries. The lotteries have been so effective that a national lottery may be implemented as a means for reducing the Federal budget deficit.
Lottery number pickers allow bettors to randomly pick numbers for placing bets in lotteries. One type of lottery number picker is disclosed in my pending applications Ser. Nos. 08/394,768 and 08/394,769.
One problem in manufacturing lottery number pickers is the complexity and diversity in state and foreign lotteries. By way of example, twenty-seven states have daily lotteries which require bettors to select a three or four digit number. Thirty-two states and the District of Columbia have weekly and semi-weekly lotteries which require bettors to pick six numbers from sixteen different sets of numbers ranging from 25 to 54 numbers.
The complexity and diversity has discouraged manufacturers from producing lottery number pickers. Manufacturers are unwilling to risk large sums in low priced products having high labor, packaging, and inventory costs; particularly, products such as lottery number pickers. The public will not purchase lottery pickers if they are high priced. Bettors would rather spend their money placing bets rather than for purchasing number pickers.
Another problem with lottery number pickers wherein large quantities of small thin circular disks are stored in small spaces, is the amount of labor which is required to orient the disks so that the numbers are visible to a user, particularly when disks are about 6 mm or less in diameter and about 1.5 mm thick. Moreover, when disks have to be oriented, the probability for error is high.
Another problem which is associated with lottery number pickers containing personalized items, such as business cards and advertising material, is high labor and inventory costs because of the inherent diversity in card and advertising material.